Search results for "NEWA"
showing 10 items of 2491 documents
Energy and environmental benefits in public buildings as a result of retrofit actions
2011
Abstract The paper presents the results of an energy and environmental assessment of a set of retrofit actions implemented in the framework of the EU Project “BRITA in PuBs” (Bringing Retrofit Innovation to Application in Public Buildings – no: TREN/04/FP6EN/S07.31038/503135). Outcomes arise from a life cycle approach focused on the following issues: (i) construction materials and components used during retrofits; (ii) main components of conventional and renewable energy systems; (iii) impacts related to the building construction, for the different elements and the whole building. The results are presented according to the data format of the Environmental Product Declaration. Synthetic indi…
Role of Green Coverings in Mitigating Heat Island Effects: An Analysis of Physical Models
2012
Worldwide, governments are introducing several rules and standards in the aim of limiting the quantity of primary energy for air conditioning of buildings and supporting the use of renewable source of energy for generating thermal and electric energy to be utilized in buildings such as the European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings [1]. Along with these interventions, another important action takes currently place in the building sector, that is the introduction of passive structural components of the envelope, able to reduce the requirements of energy for air conditioning purposes. Among these building components, the so-called green roofs are becoming more and more interest…
An eco-label for the airline industry?
2017
Abstract Air travel plays a vital role in today's life because it makes remote destinations accessible and short getaways possible. Despite its benefits, air transportation contributes heavily to climate change. Behavioral change is seen as a key driver in mitigating the environmental impacts of air travel. One way to encourage behavioral change is to use eco-labels. This study explores how an eco-label could be developed for the airline industry to function as a potential driver for behavioral change. 12 interviews with airline industry experts were conducted and thematically analyzed. Empirical results were then combined with prior research and the following five criteria essential for th…
A semi-empirical multipurpose steady-state model of a fuel cell for household appliances
2013
In this paper, a multipurpose model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell for household appliances is proposed. According to a conventional mathematical approach, the proposed model is derived from the physical and electro-chemical equations that rule the fuel cell behaviour. Differently from existing models, a parametric analysis is carried out and a few tunable parameters are accurately selected and identified. Furthermore, this paper proposes an innovative technique of unique model architecture which enables the designer to solve by himself the trade-off between complexity and accuracy on the basis of the specific applications. Three different choices could be performed by the designer…
Hydrogen Production from Sea Wave for Alternative Energy Vehicles for Public Transport in Trapani (Italy)
2016
The coupling of renewable energy and hydrogen technologies represents in the mid-term a very interesting way to match the tasks of increasing the reliable exploitation of wind and sea wave energy and introducing clean technologies in the transportation sector. This paper presents two different feasibility studies: the first proposes two plants based on wind and sea wave resource for the production, storage and distribution of hydrogen for public transportation facilities in the West Sicily; the second applies the same approach to Pantelleria (a smaller island), including also some indications about solar resource. In both cases, all buses will be equipped with fuel-cells. A first economic a…
The Desalination Process Driven by Wave Energy: A Challenge for the Future
2016
The correlation between water and energy is currently the focus of several investigations. In particular, desalination is a technological process characterized by high energy consumption; nevertheless, desalination represents the only practicable solution in several areas, where the availability of fresh water is limited but brackish water or seawater are present. These natural resources (energy and water) are essential for each other; energy system conversion needs water, and electrical energy is necessary for water treatment or transport. Several interesting aspects include the study of saline desalination as an answer to freshwater needs and the application of renewable energy (RE) devic…
Sustainability of the Renewable Energy Extraction Close to the Mediterranean Islands
2017
The aim of this work is to explore the possibility of transitioning a fuel powered island to a renewable powered one. This transition is analyzed for the real MV/LV distribution system of the island of Pantelleria, in the Mediterranean Sea. Particularly, this work is focused on a renewable source nowadays totally unused: wave energy. Thanks to the innovative generator prototype designed by Department of Energy of University of Palermo (Italy), wave energy is able to represent a primary source for the production of electric energy in the Mediterranean islands. The procedures applied in the present article, as well as the main equations used, are the result of previous applications made in di…
On the Efficacy of PCM to Shave Peak Temperature of Crystalline Photovoltaic Panels: An FDM Model and Field Validation
2013
The exploitation of renewable energy sources and specifically photovoltaic (PV) devices have been showing significant growth; however, for a more effective development of this technology it is essential to have higher energy conversion performances. PV producers often declare a higher efficiency respect to real conditions and this deviation is mainly due to the difference between nominal and real temperature conditions of the PV. In order to improve the solar cell energy conversion efficiency many authors have proposed a methodology to keep the temperature of a PV system lower: a modified crystalline PV system built with a normal PV panel coupled with a Phase Change Material (PCM) heat stor…
Analytical Investigation and Control System Set-up of Medium Scale PV Plants for Power Flow Management
2012
In the field of photovoltaic (PV) plants and energy conversion from renewable sources, a large part of the technical literature is more devoted to practical aspects (new solar cells, electrically driven PV panels, safety, reduction of parasitic currents, etc.) than to theoretical investigations. Despite this tendency, this paper presents a mathematical analysis of a medium scale photovoltaic power generation system connected to the distribution network and of its control system. In such a system, the conversion stage is unique due to the absence of a boost chopper. The conducted analysis leads to the interesting conclusion that the inverter used in the plant presents two degrees of freedom,…
Wave Energy Assessment along Sicilian Coastline, Based on DEIM Point Absorber
2017
The use of renewable energy sources is one of the most relevant goals to be achieved in order to match the climate protection targets. As a case study, the paper shows the current electrical energy production by sources in the Sicilian context. Among the renewable energy sources, the paper investigates the wave energy potential along the Sicilian coasts, because of the favorable climate around the island. A point absorber is present in order to exploit this source. Two scenarios are presented, with two different levels of energy production.